That’s the tone of the past two days as restricted free agents rush to put their John Hancock’s on the contract tenders their NFL teams offered earlier this offseason, then re-offered earlier this month.

And there’s good reason this game of contract chicken came to an end considering June 15 is the cutoff point that allows NFL teams to lower their offers to their young, and unsigned talent without waiving them.

For most players, like Miami Dolphins Anthony Fasano, the fear that the Dolphins might withdraw their initial one-year offer, which was more than twice Fasano’s 2009 salary ($535,000), made him and his camp cave.

See, teams can now lower their tender offer to 110 percent of the players 2009 salary IF they hadn’t signed by June 15th. But that doesn’t impact Brown considering the Dolphins opted out of the rookie contract he signed in 2005 as the No. 2 pick of that draft, passing on the final season of the deal, which would have paid Brown $5 million in 2010.

However, the Dolphins secured his rights by offering Brown a one-year tender that will pay him $3.97 million, which coincidentally IS 110 percent of his salary. That means the scare tactic the NFL is using won’t bite Brown in the backside because HE’S ALREADY AT THE LOWEST TENDER.

Earlier this offseason Brown didn’t sign his tender because he wanted control over where he played in 2010 considering teams can only trade players who have signed their tender. But what’s the holdup now?

Not signing means Brown, the trigger man for the Dolphins’ infamous Wildcat scheme, can continue to play hardball (if that’s his desire). Even though he’s participated in all of the team’s offseason work, Brown can hold the threat of sitting out training camp over the franchise’s head (if he sees fit).

Without signing his deal Brown can’t be fined for his absence.

But can Brown, the team’s resident Mr. Nice Guy, get nasty with the Trifecta? Especially in a year he’s coming back from yet another serious injury, and is trying to step up his role as a team leader?

Can, and will Brown play hardball with the Trifecta, who re-sign Ricky Williams last season with a Post It note that featured a respectable one-year extension. Why has Bill Parcells not treated Brown with the same gesture?

The series should’ve been over in 4, if the refs/league hadn’t altered the game.

That 3rd qtr of game 5 was the worst officiated game I’ve ever seen, and the 4th wasn’t any better. With Kobe scoring almost every time down the floor the Lakers fall 7 pts further back. boston (sucks) was allowed to push guys out of bounds with no foul being called, then Fisher in perfect position draws a charge that isn’t called, then Kobe gets fouled and stripped, again no call, and pierce and his push-offs every time he catches the ball (allen same thing), and garnett with his grab picks, and rondo climbing over guys to rebound and steal the ball. Kobe getting a foul called for pushing allen’s arm off of his and on and on…

A Celtics fan crying about NBA officials… maybe the Red Sox should complain that the Yankees spend too much money. Or maybe the Pats should complain that they arent given hi def cameras by the league to film opposing defenses.

Boston fans have to be the biggest dummies on earth.

I gotta love you for being a fins fan, but any team in Boston deserves to be dumped in the harbour.

There are a few things that I’d pay full price to watch @ the new Jet/Giant stadium;

1) Watch R&R pound the ball down their f#cking throats for over 200 yards
2) Watch Sanchez get beat up
3) See JT on a sideline huffing & puffing after being manhandled by Long

Come to think of it–not! I’d rather watch the game in the privacy & comfort of my home without being subjected to a bunch of mullet wearing, degenerate neanderthals who go to Bon Jovi concerts with their sisters.

i hate to say it, but i can see the set up now for poster boy to come home and win 2 games for a crown. you know, so they can say look something mikie never did, now kobe is the greatest, please follow our sport.

I think from my posts, it could be interpreted that I’m overselling him. You’re probably right. I do think he’s better than serviceable though. I do remember the team and coach recognizing him as a dynamic player, and I also disagree that the WC imploded in Week 2. We drove right down the field in the first quarter with the WC that game. Our defense and losing Pennington somewhere in the middle was what cost us…Henne wasn’t prepped well enough to come in cold and produce at that time. The wheels of the WC fell off somewhere in the middle of the second half of the New Orleans game though…It wasn’t really the same after that, and I think some of that was removing our 3 rb sets.

Anyway, you’re right-> it’s not like Cobbs is an all-pro, but it’s those kind of journeyman that compliment your all stars to make you better than your opponent.

There are a few things that I’d pay full price to watch @ the new Jet/Giant stadium;

1) Watch R&R pound the ball down their f#cking throats for over 200 yards
2) Watch Sanchez get beat up
3) See JT on a sideline huffing & puffing after being manhandled by Long

Come to think of it–not! I’d rather watch the game in the privacy & comfort of my home without being subjected to a bunch of mullet wearing, degenerate neanderthals who go to Bon Jovi concerts with their sisters.

Speaking of journeyman, that’s why the Celtics have been busting up the Lakers…it’s their role players-> Glen Davis, Nate Robinson, and Tony Allen to name a few. They’re outmatching the Lakers backups big time.

Plus the Lakers need Bynum to be out on the floor to create mismatches for the Celtics defense. The Celtics have proven to me so far that they are a better defensive team than the Lakers & they have more guys who can score on offense. I think Kobe is the best player in the world but even if Gasol steps up I still don’t think it’s enough. Artest has been horrible & Odom has not been a big enough factor.

With the addition of Marshall & assuming Ronnie is healthy to start the season, I like our offense just where it is. Bess may not be Wes Welker (still pissed we traded him btw) but I expect a big year from him in the slot. If I had to upgrade one skill position it would be a TE but I think our offense has to chance to be extremely good this year.

Their starters played better…I’d pretty much classify Game 5 as a team W. That’s why that game was so fun to watch…they did it collectively, and they did it with unbelievable defense and team ball.

Rondo has been pretty solid mostly throughout…that right handed-reverse spin reverse layup should be one of the replays they constantly show for this Championship in the years that follow. Hard to put into words how difficult that is to execute and he made it look routine…pretty special.

The C’s Bench has been huge throughout the playoffs no doubt it and they played very well during all the Finals’ Games; Game 4 IMO is when they really out played the Lakers, even the Lakers’ starting 4 for a while.

That being said the Lakers or any team during the Playoffs have not been a match for the Celtics starting 5 when they play the way they did in Game 5. When the Celtics starting 5 are clicking as a team there is no stopping them.

IMO, Game 5 would have been a Loss if Doc had let the Bench play longer.

“Come to think of it–not! I’d rather watch the game in the privacy & comfort of my home without being subjected to a bunch of mullet wearing, degenerate neanderthals who go to Bon Jovi concerts with their sisters.”

LMFAO!

But when the male Jet fans get drunk they make out with each other and their brothers. LOL

You are so right about the whole Jet fan/latent homosexual thing. That’s why I stay as far away from them as possible when they’re drinking. Instead of turning into gremlins, they turn into those guys that attacked Ned Beatty in ‘Deliverance.’ LMAO!!!

WHP and Krill . the celtics are a better overall TEAM than the Lakers. Offense and Defense. I;m not just saying it because i’m a big celtic fan. The lakers kave kobe and the league behind them. That’s the problem !

The celtics are the better team my azz. garnett is washed up his next 2 games just like the last 2 in L.A. will prove it. allen can’t score in back to back games, pierce couldn’t score off anyone without pushing off, rondo can’t hit a 15 foot j to save his azz, big baby is a big baby.

For full coverage, pictures and video from the Middle East, try our new website

Saudi Arabia has conducted tests to stand down its air defences to enable Israeli jets to make a bombing raid on Iran’s nuclear facilities, The Times can reveal.

In the week that the UN Security Council imposed a new round of sanctions on Tehran, defence sources in the Gulf say that Riyadh has agreed to allow Israel to use a narrow corridor of its airspace in the north of the country to shorten the distance for a bombing run on Iran.

To ensure the Israeli bombers pass unmolested, Riyadh has carried out tests to make certain its own jets are not scrambled and missile defence systems not activated. Once the Israelis are through, the kingdom’s air defences will return to full alert.

“The Saudis have given their permission for the Israelis to pass over and they will look the other way,” said a US defence source in the area. “They have already done tests to make sure their own jets aren’t scrambled and no one gets shot down. This has all been done with the agreement of the [US] State Department.”

Sources in Saudi Arabia say it is common knowledge within defence circles in the kingdom that an arrangement is in place if Israel decides to launch the raid. Despite the tension between the two governments, they share a mutual loathing of the regime in Tehran and a common fear of Iran’s nuclear ambitions. “We all know this. We will let them [the Israelis] through and see nothing,” said one.

The four main targets for any raid on Iran would be the uranium enrichment facilities at Natanz and Qom, the gas storage development at Isfahan and the heavy-water reactor at Arak. Secondary targets include the lightwater reactor at Bushehr, which could produce weapons-grade plutonium when complete.

The targets lie as far as 1,400 miles (2,250km) from Israel; the outer limits of their bombers’ range, even with aerial refuelling. An open corridor across northern Saudi Arabia would significantly shorten the distance. An airstrike would involve multiple waves of bombers, possibly crossing Jordan, northern Saudi Arabia and Iraq. Aircraft attacking Bushehr, on the Gulf coast, could swing beneath Kuwait to strike from the southwest.

Passing over Iraq would require at least tacit agreement to the raid from Washington. So far, the Obama Administration has refused to give its approval as it pursues a diplomatic solution to curbing Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Military analysts say Israel has held back only because of this failure to secure consensus from America and Arab states. Military analysts doubt that an airstrike alone would be sufficient to knock out the key nuclear facilities, which are heavily fortified and deep underground or within mountains. However, if the latest sanctions prove ineffective the pressure from the Israelis on Washington to approve military action will intensify. Iran vowed to continue enriching uranium after the UN Security Council imposed its toughest sanctions yet in an effort to halt the Islamic Republic’s nuclear programme, which Tehran claims is intended for civil energy purposes only. President Ahmadinejad has described the UN resolution as “a used handkerchief, which should be thrown in the dustbin”.

Israeli officials refused to comment yesterday on details for a raid on Iran, which the Prime Minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, has refused to rule out. Questioned on the option of a Saudi flight path for Israeli bombers, Aharaon Zeevi Farkash, who headed military intelligence until 2006 and has been involved in war games simulating a strike on Iran, said: “I know that Saudi Arabia is even more afraid than Israel of an Iranian nuclear capacity.”

In 2007 Israel was reported to have used Turkish air space to attack a suspected nuclear reactor being built by Iran’s main regional ally, Syria. Although Turkey publicly protested against the “violation” of its air space, it is thought to have turned a blind eye in what many saw as a dry run for a strike on Iran’s far more substantial — and better-defended — nuclear sites.

Israeli intelligence experts say that Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan are at least as worried as themselves and the West about an Iranian nuclear arsenal.Israel has sent missile-class warships and at least one submarine capable of launching a nuclear warhead through the Suez Canal for deployment in the Red Sea within the past year, as both a warning to Iran and in anticipation of a possible strike. Israeli newspapers reported last year that high-ranking officials, including the former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, have met their Saudi Arabian counterparts to discuss the Iranian issue. It was also reported that Meir Dagan, the head of Mossad, met Saudi intelligence officials last year to gain assurances that Riyadh would turn a blind eye to Israeli jets violating Saudi airspace during the bombing run. Both governments have denied the reports.
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If they have any confidence in Ronnie, they would sign him this year. They can front-load a 3 year contract in this UNCAPPED year, so it would hurt next years CAPPED year(hopefully). He’s waiting so he can prove to the trifecta, he will be a force in 2010, by showing them in this coming Camp.

Now, just look at Ronnie’s 07 season::::
He had about 1000 yds run/rec. in only 6.5 games. He was on his way to breaking a few records. Because Cam(hate to admit it), utilized Ronnie to his fullest, getting him in involved in the passing game.
THEN he got that major ACL injury!!

OK::: Next season, coming off an ACL injury (which takes time to heal), Ronnie came out and had a respectable 10 TD season and NOBODY could have ran the WildCat like he did!!!
What’s to say he won’t come back strong like he did from his 07 ACL injury?

This is why he should be signed to a 3 year deal:::::

1.He’s average around 4.5-5.1 yds per carry. Over his whole carrer, Ronnie has averaged a respectable 4.5 yds a carry.
2. Love his style of running, hes the type of RB who can run around you are right through you.
3. NOBODY can run the WildCat like he can!!!!!!!!!!!!!
4. Plus, He has Low Milage.
5. Just like his ACL ending injury in 07, in which he came back strong in 08, taking this team into the playoffs with HIS WildCat attack.
He will come back strong from this injury the same way.
6. And most importantly, with Ricky supposing to retire at the end of the season. If Ronnie also gets cut loose, then what??? Hilliard, Cobbs and Sheets is not the answer. Then they will have to start from scratch and hopefully hit a homerin in the draft. Alot of Busts out there.
7. If he signs a 3 year deal frontloaded in this Uncapped year, WON’T hurt next years (hopefully) Capped season.

how many different ways can we speculate as to why ronnie hasnt signed his tender.

is it me or does that just sound like a wierd conversation.

bp “hey ronnie, you going to sign your tender”

rb “dont know bill, i mean, never done it before, does it hurt? i mean you have seen other guys doing it right, you know signing their tender. to me, it just seems like it is going to hurt. can i sign it with a crayon, just dont want to sign my tender with anything pointy”

Depending on the severity, a Lisfranc injury can be career threatening. Given the extent of the repair done on Ronnie (any Lisfranc requiring surgery is considered severe) while in surgery, it’s likely this injury will affect him for the rest of his life, regardless of the success of his comeback.

I’m a huge RB fan, but I can see why the trifecta is reluctant to give him a big contract given all of the things working against him: Age, Current injury status, past injury history, historical running back career lengths and historical runningback late career production.

I believe he’ll be back after this injury, but the fact that he’s still been spotted limping gives me pause as to whether he’ll be the same version of healthy Ronnie Brown we’ve seen in the past.

He’s been spotted limping recently due to having one of the anchor screws removed from his fracture. The other screw will remain in place.
Although it is a simple proceedure, it is still invasive and will smart for a bit.
This was the final step in the foot proceedure.
Many athletes have recovered fully from this type of lisfranc injury.
Ronnie Brown will be fine.

Any of you guys seen news coverage of the “Touchdown Jesus” along I-75 north of Cincinnati, that was hit by lightning and burnt to the ground last night.
I live about 20 minutes from there……the irony? I will try to find good link -I know its on youtube.

7th round draft pick OLB McCoy was signed to a 4 year contract. This guy was consider a good pass-rushing DE, now OLB that went under the radar.
PAC Co-Defensive player of the year was also seen in NE. and Philly, who were both interested in him. Wasn’t even invited to the Combine, but had a great pro-day.
My opinion, this guy could be a sleeper. Could suprise a few!

Do we HAVE to sign Spitler??? That guy is a bum. But I think McCoy will suprise many of us.
All draft picks have potential EXCEPT Spitler. Get rid of him asap.

McCoy intruiges me as well. I think he’s a long shot to come in and start but I would like to see him earn a spot and be productive on ST. Having ST production from the large group of linebackers is part of the plan. To utilize the speed and athletic ability of LB’s on ST.

This blog gets ruined everyday around the same time with the non football silliness. I’m with Krillian, I don’t care what the topic is. I can talk football for hours. Ahh well, it was fun while it lasted. Y’all have fun in your juvenile chat room.

OMAR KELLY was unsuccessful at achieving his childhood dream to become a super hero, so he figured he'd do the next best thing and become a journalist who fights against injustice, and searches for truth. After being bored to death reporting news and covering politics, he switched to sports.
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IZZY GOULD joined the Sun Sentinel in Feb. 2012 as a Senior Sports Reporter on the Miami Dolphins beat. He came to South Florida fresh off covering the University of Alabama football program, including its 2011 national championship team. More